According to a LinkedIn interview with orchestra contractor Sandy DeCrescent, Williams will start recording the score for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in June.
Sandy DeCrescent celebrates 50 years as an orchestra contractor. At one point she worked with 43 of the most talented TV and film composers in Hollywood. Today, she is still selecting the musicians and managing the orchestras for composer John Williams, who will be recording Star Wars in June (2019), and for composer Randy Newman who just finished recording Toy Story 4.
The article provides interesting insights on the work of Williams during the recording sessions for his scores.
There was a month where I did 12 movies. Some movies are only two or three days. It’s all about the number of minutes of music and how fast a composer goes without sacrificing any quality. John Williams does 15 minutes every three hours.
Q: He records fifteen minutes of a film score in three hours?
A: Sometimes he has a hard day and he only does 14. I’ve seen him do 17. He is the most incredible person, he’s organized, he’s a great conductor, and it’s all laid out so perfectly.
(…)
Q: This must impact the quality and the end product—people can only create magic because there’s this connection and love, right?
A: I can take this fabulous orchestra of John Williams and put them with another conductor. And they don’t play well. It isn’t even about the other conductors conducting, but more about how they treat the orchestra.
You put them with John Williams or Randy Newman who show such love to the orchestra. I’ve had people say, “I didn’t even know I could play that great.”